58 Do you want to play with me?

hashimoto chisa feels smug after seeing the news. even miwako didn't know that rie was adopted. that's good. it will be easier to bring her back.

her phone rings once. she checks the text and frowns deeply. "kiyohira is investigating my past again. did that dog say something to him?"

no, the dog ran away after she met its master. her toy hasn't grown any backbone to say her name. she might run and hide, but she won't reveal her name to anyone. rie is even better than miwako. then, why is kiyohira reinvestigating her past? he already did it once when the marriage proposal happened a few years ago.

she texts her stepfather. he will take care of it. her stepfather has been putting a lot of efforts to erase the fact that she studied at a low ranked school before her mother married him. whether it's bribing her old school or creating fake records, he will do anything to prove that she is perfect. he wouldn't want anyone to know. otherwise, the perfect stepdaughter won't be perfect. before, he needed her to marry a powerful young master. now, he needs her more because his son is failing as the director of his company.

if kiyohira is suspicious of her anyway, she can't risk it. she calls miwako.

[chisa, i brought a new purse for you.]

"should i appreciate it that you are using my money to buy gifts for me?"

[um... it was a pretty one.]

"kiyohira is looking into my past. he must have found out something. leave the country for a while. don't tell anyone where you are going. i will handle things here."

[where should i go?]

"go anywhere. you can't meet him. by the way, how many people knew that it was me in our school?"

[uh... your name never came up. you were the angel. nobody would believe that it was you, but... ]

"but?"

[back then, someone took a picture of you when you were bonding with rie. it was only the picture of her cleaning your shoes with her face. we don't know who took and circulated the pictures in the classroom, but your face wasn't shown. but, that never happened again. i claimed that it was me. i took all the photos and burned it. i made sure that nothing could be used as a piece of evidence. well, the school didn't care anyway.]

"oh, i remember. i wonder who it was." chisa smiles. if that person wanted, her mask would have been long broken. since the person didn't do anything till now, it probably won't be a problem in the future. "don't go home. hide at the secret playhouse. leave the country soon. i will send you the money in your account."

there have been enough witnesses, but rarely anyone cared about takeuchi rie. people don't care because they don't want to become the victim themselves. they all took part in bullying rie because she was the chosen punching bag. if anyone tried to save her, they would also be treated the same.

why did chisa choose her? when she transferred to that school after her father died, she always pretended to be mature and smiling. back then, it was rie who saw through her mask.

***

"new girl, why do you smile when you aren't happy?" rie puts her lunchbox in front of her. "here, my mother sent a lot. it's delicious."

she purses her lips. this girl has seen through her smile. when she didn't eat, rie feeds her using the chopsticks. even her mother never did it to her.

"you are stubborn. where did you come from, new girl? do you want to play with me?" rie grins at her. "my mother makes the best food. i will ask her to put more. we can eat it together."

whether it's an act of kindness or pity, chisa didn't like it. chisa doesn't say anything. if only her mother also packed lunches for her, she wouldn't be shamed like this moment.

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later, she realizes that rie is like this toward everyone. rie is everyone's favorite including the teachers. though her grades are mediocre, she is still liked by everyone because of her kindness and smiling face. chisa didn't like it, but she didn't do anything either.

there is one person who didn't get along with takeuchi rie. that's takeuchi miwako, her cousin. they often argue and fight in class. most students hate miwako for being hateful toward rie.

things change suddenly after her parents' divorce. takeuchi miwako tells everyone how rie's mother cheated and got pregnant with someone else's child. the parents begin to complain. her classmates isolate her. nobody would sit with her during lunch. they would write names on her desk and use it like a dumpster. the teachers turn a blind eye to whatever was happening in the classroom. chisa laughs when she sees this. weren't they the same people who used to like rie?

rie is disappointed whenever she looks at her lunch. chisa decides to sit with her and share the junk food that she brought from the department store.

"i will eat what my grandmother sent me," rie tells her curtly.

still proud? chisa tears open the packet of chips.

"you shouldn't eat that every day." she hears rie say with a small voice. "you won't grow tall if you eat junk food. i don't mind sharing my lunch with you."

chisa looks at the lunch box. the meal looks plain and not so delicious. still, she takes a spoonful. rie shows a tiny smile.

what's this girl is happy when she should be crying? everyone is treating her like shit.

feeling annoyed by the smile, she arrives at the classroom early. she begins writing bad words on her desk. suddenly, the door opens and takeuchi rie walks in. rie widens her eyes when she sees chisa on the desk. the shock is replaced by disappointment. the final layer of the nice girl's act in front of rie is broken.